Updated

Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 24

Crump Urges Charges in 38-Year-Old Corey Ruiz Shooting as Madison Lacks Body Cameras

Updated

Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 24

Crump Urges Charges in 38-Year-Old Corey Ruiz Shooting as Madison Lacks Body Cameras

Q: What will unreleased bystander and squad car videos reveal about the moments leading to the fatal shots?

The unreleased videos are expected to clarify the disputed seconds before Corey Ruiz was shot, especially whether police accounts of a knife attack and failed Taser use match what happened on the ground. Publicly circulating cellphone footage already shows officers struggling with Ruiz, shouts of “He’s got a knife!” and “Taser!,” and then gunfire. But Police Chief John Patterson said those clips show only one angle and not the officers’ perspective. Investigators are also reviewing additional bystander recordings and possible squad-car video that could fill in gaps. If those videos are clear, they could show how the encounter began, how Ruiz ended up on the ground, whether he was still armed or actively threatening officers at the instant shots were fired, and the sequence in which an officer was allegedly cut and a Taser was deployed unsuccessfully. They may also help establish distances, positioning, and whether officers had alternatives in the final moments. What the videos will not provide is body-camera evidence, because none of the four officers involved were wearing body cameras. That makes bystander footage and any squad-car recording especially important to the Wisconsin Department of Justice investigation and to the family’s demand, through attorney Ben Crump, for full public release of all available video. Until those recordings are released or described in detail by investigators, the key facts about the fatal moments remain unresolved.

3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 24

Ben Crump said Friday the Madison officer who killed 38-year-old Corey Ruiz should face criminal charges, calling the shooting an unjustified "execution" after cellphone video of the struggle fueled protests.
Police say Ruiz pulled a knife while four officers tried to detain him Wednesday, injuring one officer before that officer opened fire; all four officers are on administrative leave during a state investigation.
Cellphone footage spread widely online, but Police Chief John Patterson said it does not show the officers' perspective — and Madison has no body-camera footage because the city still does not require officers to wear them.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said she expects the budget taking effect in January to fund body-worn cameras, reviving a debate stalled for years by cost concerns, political inertia and some community opposition.
Ruiz's death also drew calls for justice from elected officials and renewed anger in a neighborhood where police have killed three people since 2012.